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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

West Juliett

My first visit to West Juliett a few months back happened purely by chance. A simple wrong turn on the way to a bakery took us to this year's new addition to Marrickville cafes.

Juliett salad

Having eaten a pretty big breakfast that morning I opted for the Juliett salad (avacado, seasonal vegetables, leaves, nuts, seeds, herbs). If you automatically think of the word "boring" when salads are mentioned, then you have to give this one a try. Fresh green leaves, crunchy red cabbage, sweet carrots, lightly anise tasting fennel (my favourite ingredient in a salad), and crisp radish and cauliflower pieces, all topped off with half perfectly ripen avocado. The addition of nuts and seeds not only enhanced the flavour of the dish but also added more texture to it. This salad was deliciously fresh and light, the word "boring" doesn't even register.

French toast

My subsequent visit was, of course, very intentional and I made sure I brought my appetite with me. The French toast (ricotta, roast rhubarb, salted caramel) was definitely not your average French toast. Soft, creamy ricotta, salted caramel, sweet and sour rhubarb, what a combination! My friend's Breakfast plate (poached egg, avocado, leg ham, tomato, provolone, toast) was well portioned, the side order of chorizos proved to be an excellent choice. The toast came with a very generous serving of beautiful, smooth, soft butter.

Occupying the corner of quiet, tree lined streets, West Juliett is inviting and the doors open up to a spacious indoor dining area, including a long bar table, from where you can catch all the actions in the open kitchen. If you want to watch the world go by while sipping your coffee then grab a seat outside, the overhead heaters will keep you nice and toasty during the colder months.

Baked goods

West Juliett focuses on fresh local produce; pastries and baked goods are done in house while the coffee beans are roasted locally by White Horse Coffee and changes seasonally. Their house made soda which comes in two mixes: rhubarb+lemon+ginger and quince+lime+cinnamon are the perfect drinks on a hot summer day. Thirst quenching and super refreshing.

Make sure you get your hands on some of the baked goods proudly displayed next to the register on your way out, and by all means, one or several of those pink salt chocolate-chip cookies. They are big and chewy, with the pink salt offsetting the sweetness, simply divine and rather addictive I may add. The small pile of those perfectly baked cookies sitting on top of my kitchen counter proves it.